


The matchmaker

by filhadoboto



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU – Modern, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Complete, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, GingerRoseWeek2020, Gingerflower, Gingerrose - Freeform, Gingerrose week, Huxrose, Kittens, Light Smut, Mention of Hux/Bazine (past), Mention of Poe/Phasma, Mention of Rose/Finn (past), Millicent - Freeform, Minor Rey/Ben, Pets, Pregnant cat, Runaway Cat, Strangers to Lovers, Unsafe Sex, matchmaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24193804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filhadoboto/pseuds/filhadoboto
Summary: A pregnant Millicent runs away from home and Hux falls into despair. Rose finds an orange cat with a litter of kittens in her bed when she gets home from work.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Phasma & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux & Rose Tico, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Rey & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 38
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Gingerrose Week 2020 on Tumblr - Day Four: Millicent + Day Five: AU.
> 
> Hope you like it!
> 
> English is not my native language, sorry for grammar errors (In google translate I trust!).

Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Standing at the door of her room, gaping, her hands covering her mouth to keep her from making any noise, she stared in wonder at the sight on her bed.

Somehow, an orange cat had managed to get into her room and choose her bed to give birth to her kittens. The cat made a slight meow when she saw Rose standing staring at her and her four newborn kittens.

Slowly and avoiding sudden movements, Rose walked to the bed and knelt beside it, the cat following each of her movements with her intelligent green eyes, and when the girl did not move, she began to lick her sleeping kittens.

"How did you manage to get in here?" said Rose, her voice a little louder than a whisper, and the cat stared at her and she noticed the black collar around her neck with a round silver medal hanging. The girl reached out slowly and held the medal.

"Millicent." read Rose and looked at the cat “Is that your name? Millicent?” she asked and then saw that on the other side there was a name and phone number “A. Hux. Is that your human? A. Hux?” she read and the cat meowed "'A.' is from Adam? Alexander? Hmmm… Arthur? Antony? Maybe Andrew?” She tried and the cat just stared at her “None of those? So I better call and find out. Whoever this A. Hux is must be looking for you.”

Rose took out her cell phone and dialed the number on the collar. A distressed male voice answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Oh... hi." said Rose "Please, are you A. Hux, owner of an orange cat named Millicent?"

"Yes! Yes, I am!" he said desperately “She ran away from home three days ago. _Please_ tell me that you are calling to tell me that you saw her.”

Rose smiled before saying “I didn't just see her. She is at my house and I am looking at her right now.”

"Ah, thanks the Maker!" he said and she heard his sigh of relief “How is she? I am so worried, she is pregnant and I…”

"She _was_ pregnant." Rose interrupted him.

"Excuse me? What did you say?" he asked, looking tense and worried again.

“Your cat was pregnant. Millicent gave birth on my bed while I was at work.”

She heard him gasp, “What? Am I already a grandfather?” he practically shouted, marveling "Were my grandchildren born?"

She couldn't help but smile when she imagined an adult man calling himself the grandfather of his cat's kittens. He must love that animal too much.

“Yes, congratulations. You are the grandfather of four beautiful and healthy kittens.”

"Four?" he said and laughed, looking relieved and amazed “What are they like? What colors are they?”

She looked at the kittens and studied them for a few seconds before saying "Hmmm... One is orange like its mother and the other three have white chests and orange backs."

"Awww..." he said and she smiled "How are they? Do you think she needs to go to a vet?”

“She and the kittens are safe and well. You don't have to worry.”

“I need to see them. I need to make sure that they are okay.” he said in an anxious tone "Sorry, I don't know your name, miss...?"

"My name is Rose. Rose Tico.”

“Miss Tico, I would like to have my Millie back. And the kittens, of course. Do you mind if I come to your house now to pick them up?”

“Ah, not at all. I will send a message with my address to you.”

“Thank you, Miss Tico. You have no idea how relieved I am that you found my daughter and got in touch with me. See you soon, then.” he said and hung up.

Rose typed in her address and sent it to the happy grandfather.

"I found your human and he's coming to see you, Millicent." she said to the cat who now fed her kittens.

She got to her feet, went to the kitchen and took a bowl of water and took it to Millicent, who drank it enthusiastically.

Rose took a picture of Millicent and the kittens and sent it to Rey Niima, her best friend with whom she shared the house and who was traveling for work and would certainly love to be there to witness that event. She sent the picture and typed:

> _**Rose:** _ _Look at the surprise I found on my bed when I got home from work._

A few minutes later, Rey replied:

> _**Rey:** _ _Awwww! They are so gorgeous, Rose! Can we adopt them? Please? At least one of them? Please?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Unfortunately, we can't. She has an owner. I just talked to him and he's on his way here._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _What a pity. Our house would be happier if we had a cat._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I know, Rey. Maybe we can adopt one of them. I will talk about it with the mysterious A. Hux when he arrives._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _A. Hux? As in Armitage Hux?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I'm not sure what the A. means, but A. Hux is written on her collar._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Is the cat's name Millicent by any chance?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Yes and you are starting to scare me. How do you know that?_

Her friend sent her a picture. It was a poster of a lost animal with Millicent's picture and details of her collar and the amount of the reward. Rose was surprised by the value. Hux was offering five thousand to anyone who found her and returned her to him.

> _**Rey:** _ _Millicent is Hux's cat, who is Ben's best friend. Ben and another friend of them, Phasma and her husband, Poe, have spread posters around the nearest neighborhoods in the past few days. And the last time I spoke to Ben, he told me that Hux was not even able to eat or sleep, worried about Millicent._
> 
> _I could have sworn I shared_ _it_ _with you._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _You didn't share it with me._

Rey sent another picture for her. In it were Ben with a tall, blond woman and a red-haired man with the look of someone who would rather be somewhere else. Despite his dissatisfied and irritated expression, he was a handsome and attractive man.

> _**Rey:** _ _The red-haired guy is Hux and the blonde woman is Phasma. They work together in the First Order._
> 
> _I'm so happy that you found her, Rose._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Actually, it was she who found me. I just have no idea how she got in._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Oops... I think it's my fault. When I was packing for the trip, I dropped my perfume bottle and it spilled on my carpet, so I opened my bedroom window a little to help reduce the smell. I forgot to close it before traveling and the opening must have been enough for Millicent to sneak into our house. I'm sorry._

Rose smiled.

> _**Rose:** _ _No problem, Rey. Despite the mess on my bed, I'm happy that she and her kittens are safe and that Hux will be able to eat and sleep again._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _From what Ben told me, she is his emotional support cat._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _What do you mean with his emotional support cat?_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I don't know if I should tell you about this._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _You already started, now finish!_
> 
> _Please!_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Okay, but first promise me that you will not comment on anything with Hux or Ben._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I promise._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Okay. Hux found Millicent when she was still a newborn. Some monster stuck her and the other kittens of her litter in a bag and threw it in the park near his house. It was by pure chance that he found them._
> 
> _His fiancee had just finished their engagement and he had gone for a walk, not knowing what he would do with his life from there when he heard the cries of the kittens. He didn't hesitate to go to the source of the noise and found the bag with the kittens inside, but unfortunately only Millicent survived._
> 
> _Since then he started to dedicate all his energy to work and the cat and kinda closed up to the world._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _It's understandable his desperation to find her._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Ah! If he's cold or rude to you, don't be offended. He keeps people away for fear of getting hurt again._

Rose knew what it was like to be abandoned by the person you loved and how tempting it was to get away from the rest of the world.

> _**Rose:** _ _I don't think I'm the best person to judge him, since I know how he must have felt when he was abandoned._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I think you two will get along._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Rey!_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Okay, sorry. You are not ready yet._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _No, I'm not ready. Sometimes I also feel like doing the same thing as him and getting away from the rest of the world._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I know. And I also know that when you're ready, the right person will cross your path._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _It costs nothing to hope._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Ben just sent a message saying that Hux found Millicent. I'll tell him that it was you who found her. Tell me how it went after?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Sure. Tell Ben that I sent him a hug._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I say. Love you._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I love you too._

Millicent watched her with sleepy eyes and the kittens had fallen asleep again snuggled against her body. Rose turned on her cell phone camera and took several pictures of the new family. Suddenly, the cat got up and walked out of the room and, curious, Rose followed. Millicent stopped at the front door and sat down. A few seconds later, the doorbell rang and when Rose opened the door, Hux was there. However, he was very different from the photo that Rey had sent her. Before his hair was short and his face unshaven. Now his hair was almost shoulder-length and a well-kept beard covered his face.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before he asked "Miss Tico?"

She smiled and nodded, but before she could say anything, Millicent started to meow and all the man's attention went to the animal.

"Millie!" he said, kneeling and stretching his arms. The cat went to him and when Hux held her, she started purring audibly and licking his jaw "Did you miss Dad too?" he held the cat like a baby, placed several kisses on her head and looked her in the eyes. “I was so worried! Why did you run away from home in your state, Millie? Everything was already prepared for you to give birth at our house.” asked the human, but the cat just continued to purr in his arms.

Rose was delighted to see that reunion, but even so, she cleared her throat, drawing the redhead's attention to herself.

"Oh, Miss Tico, I'm sorry." he said, his face flushing.

"No need to apologize, and please call me Rose."

Millicent shifted in her human's arms, he put her on the floor and she walked back to her kittens.

Rose reached for the redhead and helped him to his feet.

"Please come in." he gave her a nod and went in, "Millicent returned to her kittens." she said closing the door and turning to him.

"My apologies for the inconvenience, miss... Rose. Millie had never run away from home and I never imagined that she would do that in the state she was in.” he explained, looking uncomfortable.

She smiled "It is all right, Hux."

"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself properly." he said, extending his hand to her “My name is Armitage, Armitage Hux. People usually call me Hux, but you can call me Armitage if you want.”

"Nice to meet you, Armitage." she said with a smile and shaking his hand "Do you want to meet your grandchildren?"

His face lit up with a smile "Yes, I would love to, please."

"This way." she said and guided him to her room.

She came in and when she turned to him, there was a look of true adoration on his face and tears streamed down his cheeks. Slowly, he walked over to the bed where Millicent was licking one of the sleeping kittens, knelt by the furniture and stroked the cat's head.

“Oh, baby, now you're a mommy and I'm a grandpa! Our family has grown and they are so beautiful!” he wiped away the tears and looked at the kittens "I can already imagine them running around our house, climbing the curtains, playing with the fallen leaves in the yard."

Hux was so touched and entertained that he didn't realize that Rose was recording that moment, also touched by the scene. When he lifted his head and saw he was being recorded, she feared he would be irritated that she was spying on such a special moment for him, but Hux gave her a smile so sweet it made her heart race.

"Sorry, but I had to save that moment." she said.

"Do you mind sharing with me?"

She smiled "I'm going to send the video to you." she said and sent the video and pictures she took earlier to his cell phone.

He stood up "Rose, I need to go to my car to get Millie's transport box."

“Are you going to take them now? I thought you were going to leave them here for the first three weeks.” he frowned and she continued "You should know that the cats look for places that they consider safe to give birth to the kittens."

"Yes, I know. And that's why I prepared a special place for her to give birth.”

"But she left to look for _her own place_ , a place _she considered safe_ to give birth and take care of her kittens."

“Are you _suggesting_ that my Millie doesn't feel safe in her own home? In the house where she grew up and lived her whole life?” he said in a cold tone, crossing his arms in front of his body.

"I’m not. I'm _saying_ that if you move her and her kittens at this point, she can run away again and take the kittens to a place she considers safe. Or worse, she can reject the kittens or even abandon them if you touch them too much.”

“Are you suggesting that I leave my daughter and grandchildren with someone _I don't know_ for _three weeks_?”

"I'm just thinking about what's best for _them_." said Rose, starting to get irritated “But it's your decision, of course. You are their owner.”

Hux looked at the cat that continued to lick her kittens, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry. You are right. I read about it.” he ran his hands through his hair "Look, Rose, I don't want to appear ungrateful, much less offend you, but I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving them with someone I met five minutes ago."

"You are right, we are complete strangers to each other." She took out her cell phone and looked for a picture of her with Rey and Ben and showed him "But we have mutual friends."

"Do you know Ben and Rey?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes. Rey and I share this house. And that photo was taken about two months ago when she introduced us to each other.”

"Oh... I remember she mentioned that she shared the house with a friend." he said looking from her cell phone to her face “But even so, I couldn't ask you to take care of them. This is my obligation.”

Rose smiled “Technically, Millicent is going to take care of them. I'm just going to host her and make sure she has food, fresh water and a sandbox at her disposal.”

He looked at the cat again and pondered for a few seconds before saying “Millie is my responsibility and I insist to come here every day to visit her, clean her sandbox and feed her.” he looked at Rose and added, "If you don't mind me invading your privacy, of course."

"You will be very welcome. And I'm sure that Rey will also agree. Even because, since she started dating Ben, she spends more time at his house than here.”

"Great. So we have an agreement.” he said, extending his hand to her and she smiled and shook it. Their handshake lasted longer than it should have, as if one did not want to stop touching the other.

"I promise I will keep your family safe."

"Thank you." he said with a smile "When I got your call and you told me you were with her, well, _with them_ , it was like the weight of the whole world was lifted off my back and I could breathe again."

Rose remembered what Rey had said to her "She must be very important to you."

"You have no idea. Millie came into my life when I was going through a very difficult time.” a shadow crossed his face and he ran a hand through his hair and forced himself to smile "But the important thing is that I found her and I know she is fine." he looked her in the eye "I'm finally going to be able to sleep tonight."

His cell phone rang, he looked at who was calling "I need to answer." he said and left the room.

Rose looked at Millicent “You and your babies will be my guests for a few days, at least until your kittens get stronger. Then you can return to your home with your human.” she sat on the bed and stroked the cat's head, which started purring.

"She likes you." said Hux in a surprised tone, a few minutes later. He was standing at the door, his cell phone camera pointing at them.

"Why the surprise?" she asked "Animals have always liked me."

He put down his cell phone, put it in his pocket and walked over to her "Do you know what they say about pets and their owners starting to look like each other with living together?" she nodded “I got in the habit of taking naps in our yard. And Millie has acquired my habit of being cautious with strangers.”

Rose smiled and couldn't help herself "So does the fact that she liked me mean you liked me too?"

His face turned red and he looked away from her. He cleared his throat. "Well, since Millie and the babies are going to be here with you, I'm going to go over to my place to get her some things." he said, avoiding answering her question "She must be hungry."

"Oh, right." she said and stood up "Do you live near here?"

“Considering the distance in a straight line, yes. We live on the other side of the park and I had to go around it to get here. And do you know how she got in?”

"Yes. She came in through Rey’s bedroom window.” she explained.

He stroked Millie’s jaw and said, “What a bad girl! You broke into other people's homes!” the cat purred and he placed a kiss on her head and said “I'll be right back. Behave yourself."

"I'll walk you to the door."

"I really can't express the relief I felt when I got your call." said Hux as they walked to the door “And I'm also very grateful that you offer to host them until it's safe to take them home. If you had not reminded me of that fact, I would have taken them home and it could have stressed Millie. Thank you."

The two faced each other in front of the entrance door “My sister and I had a cat when we were children and we learned this lesson the worst way. Luna, our cat, was stressed when we started touching the kittens and she moved them and they ended up dying.”

"Oh, I'm sorry." she nodded and smiled “I will be back as soon as possible. I believe that all you want most is to rest.”

"Don’t worry. Take as long as necessary.”

He nodded and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading.

While driving back home to pick up Millicent's things, Hux couldn't help but think about everything that had happened in the past few days.

His anxiety had reached levels he had never thought possible three days ago when he came home from work and realized that his beloved cat Millicent had run away from home and, to make matters worse, she was pregnant and about to give birth.

He had prepared everything for this great moment, following tips from a veterinarian on how to prepare a safe place for her and the newborns kittens. But when he returned home, he couldn't find her anywhere. Millie was in the habit of taking naps in the yard and _always_ welcomed him at the door when he returned home, and that night, she was not there waiting for him and, after calling and looking for her, realized that she was nowhere in the house or the yard.

Worried, he had searched the nearby streets, called her name and asked the neighbors, but no one had seen her. In a panic, the first thing he did was to call his best friends Ben and Phasma and ask for their help in looking for her. Although it was late at night, the two helped him look for the cat in every corner of the house and the yard and then again on the streets, but even so, they didn’t find her.

That first night he had been unable to sleep, sitting in the living room waiting for her return, the worst scenarios going through his mind, but who reappeared were his friends with their arms full of _‘Lost Cat’_ posters and a search campaign on their  social media.

The three spread the posters around the neighborhood and with every hour he passed without receiving news, Hux's despair and concern increased. He didn't know what was worse, not finding his cat or getting calls that went nowhere. The five thousand offered as a reward were tempting, and he had received many false alarms from people just wanting to earn the money.

Unable to sleep properly, he looked like a zombie at work and the only thing he could concentrate on was keeping his cell phone charged and in view. When his cell phone rang for what seemed like the thousandth time on the third day, he hadn't even looked at whether the number calling was known before he answered. After so many calls that went nowhere, he tried not to let his hope grow, but when he heard the voice on the other end of the line saying she was with Millie, he couldn't help feeling relief. He had almost burst with happiness when he found out he was already a grandfather and all he wanted to do was hold his Millie in his arms and make sure that she and her kittens were really well.

With the address where Millie was in his hands, he took his car key and forced himself to drive slowly. He knew the neighborhood and its surroundings, and if he didn't have to go around the forest park between the neighborhood he lived in and the neighborhood that Millie was in, he would be there in less than five minutes, but as there was no other way to get to there by car, it had taken him about twenty minutes to get there.

And he could have sworn that these were the longest twenty minutes of his life, because even if Miss Tico told him that his cat and kittens were fine, he could only believe it when he saw them with his own eyes. He had taken advantage of a stop at a traffic light to send messages to Ben and Phasma telling them that he had managed to find Millie and knew they would both be happy with the news.

Hux had taken a deep breath when he finally parked in front of her address and practically ran to the door. He had rang the bell and the door had opened immediately and a beautiful girl with long black hair and warm brown eyes looked at him curiously. The two stared at each other for a few seconds and she had smiled when she confirmed that she was the woman he had spoken to and that smile had made his heart race.

Before she or he could say anything else, a meow had caught his eye and he knew it was Millie. The moment his eyes landed on the cat, he had been unable to think of anything else but to take her in his arms, embrace her and never let go. Millie had welcomed him as she used to receive him at home, and he had started talking to the animal, saying how much he worried while she purred contentedly in his arms.

It was only when the girl cleared her throat that he realized he had completely forgotten where he was. He had felt his cheeks burning when he realized what she had just witnessed and apologized, but she didn't seem bothered by having witnessed an adult man melt all over when he found his missing pet. She had smiled, helped him to his feet and invited him to come in and meet his grandchildren. He had followed her to the place where Millie had given birth and he had been unable to contain his tears when he saw her lying on the bed licking her sleeping kittens.

Hux had been so moved that it had taken him some time to realize that Rose was recording his conversation with Millie. He didn't like to show his emotions in front of other people, but the way she looked at him had made him feel comfortable and it wouldn't be bad to have that moment recorded, after all he would have recorded it himself if his cat had been at home and he couldn't help but smile when he realized he could keep that moment because of the girl.

Taking his family home would end that day with a flourish and he had been determined and ready to do so, but Rose had called him reason and he had to agree that the best thing for Millie and the kittens was to stay where they were. He had made it clear that although he was grateful that she found Millie, he couldn’t leave them in the care of a complete stranger for three weeks, but to his surprise, she had revealed to him that she was Rey’s best friend, who was Ben's girlfriend, and the two lived in that house. Knowing this made him feel more secure in agreeing with her and Rose had seemed happy to be able to host them. However, he had made a point of saying that not only did he want to see them every day as he would help with their care and she agreed without any objection.

Having reached an agreement, the two began to talk and he was intrigued by the fact that he felt so _comfortable_ with this stranger, talking about things that he normally had a hard time talking to even his friends. Luckily for him, before he could share something he might regret later, his cell phone had rang. It was Ben wanting more news about Millie (that he already knew where she was because Rey had told him that she was at her house) and to _beg_ him that he was not a _rude_ and _insensitive_ _asshole_ with Rose since she not only found his cat but also she had recently been dumped by her boyfriend and was nevertheless rude to people and didn't need another guy giving her more reason to be sad. Hux's curiosity had almost made him ask what had happened to Rose, but his good sense prevented him and he assured his friend that he was being extremely polite and civilized and that he couldn't be rude to the person who found the being he loved most in his life.

When he returned to the room, the scene he was faced with made his heart melt once more. Rose was sitting on her bed and stroking Millie's purring head and his first impulse was to register that moment. Millie used to be unsociable with strangers and sometimes even hissed at his friends that she had lived with since she was a kitten. If he still had any doubts about leaving her there with Rose, the scene before him ends them all.

The girl had smiled when she heard him say that the cat liked her and, after explaining how rare it was and that the two shared the characteristic of not liking to interact with strangers, Rose had disarmed him with another smile and asked if the fact that Millie liked her meant that _he liked_ _her_ _too_. In fact, _he liked her_. More than he was willing to admit even to himself. Embarrassed, he had felt his cheeks burning, looked away from her and tried to take the conversation in a safer direction by saying that since his family would stay with her for a while, he would go to his house to get food and some things for Millie.

She had accompanied him to the door, but the memory of her smile had accompanied him all the way home and now he was wandering around the house and taking everything he thought Millie would need or miss and enough food to feed her for two months (not that he expected her to be away from home for that long).

His cell phone rang and it was a man saying he saw Millie on his street and Hux gladly said he had already found her. He would have to find a way to spread the word that he had found her or would continue to receive calls in the coming weeks and maybe Ben and Phasma could help him with that too.

He smiled when he saw that Rose had sent him a new message and it was a video of the kittens yawning after they finished feeding. The scene was so cute that it made his heart ache and that's what he typed and sent to Rose. He had no idea if she was recording it for him, so he wouldn't miss such special moments or if she was in the habit of recording everything, but whatever the case, he was happy that Millie had chosen Rose's bed to give birth.

After gathering everything he thought Millie would need to be comfortable, he wrote a check for the amount of the reward, put it in his pocket and started carrying everything he had set aside into the car. He drove calmly back to Rose's house. First he took the food inside and served a generous portion for Millie who ate greedily. Then he carried the rest of the stuff into the house while Rose accommodated the food supply in the kitchen.

As soon as Millie ate and went back to the room, Hux took Millie’s bed and the box he had prepared for her to deliver to the room. The cat watched him from Rose’s bed, her eyes intent as he and Rose decided where to put everything. Once decided, Hux took Millie and placed her on the floor and, with a clean towel, he took each of the kittens that immediately woke up and started to cry and put them in the padded box. As soon as the four were settled, Millie joined them and started licking them while they snuggled up to her body and started to suckle.

Hux turned to Rose who was removing the sheets from her bed "Rose?" he said and she looked at him "This is for you." he took the check out of his pocket and handed it to her. She looked at the paper and at him, frowning in confusion. "It's the reward for finding Millie." he explained.

"Oh, no." she said in an offended tone "I don't want your money."

"But you found her, the money is rightfully yours." he insisted, still holding out the check to her.

"I don't want your money." she repeated, dismissing the matter.

“I would be really relieved if you took the money. You found her and are still going to host…”

"I would do that for anyone." she said interrupting him “But if you insist on paying so much for the help I am _offering_ , you can donate that money to a shelter that cares for abandoned animals. They need this money more than I do.”

He nodded "If you prefer it that way."

"I do."

"It is decided then." he said putting the check away and she gave him a satisfied smile "Do you know any place for me to donate?" he asked, trying to recover from the effect that her smile had on his heart.

"I have a few in mind, but I will research which one needs more and let you know."

"Perfect. We can go together to make the donation.” he said and then added "If you want, of course."

"Oh, yeah. I would love to."

They were both silent as she placed clean sheets on her bed and arranged the pillows in place. He cleared his throat and said, "I know it's late and you must be wanting to sleep, but do you mind if I stay with them for a while?"

She turned to him and smiled “Not at all. Please, be my guest.”

"Thank you."

Rose nodded, took the dirty sheets in her arms and left the room.

Hux sat on the floor next to the box where Millie and the kittens were. He was fascinated by his grandchildren and made a mental note to look later at what their genders were.

After so many nights without being able to sleep properly, his mind very anxious and his body too tense to relax, he finally managed to relax, sleep started to dominate him and, without him noticing it, he ended up falling asleep.

**\---**

Hux woke up with his cell phone ringing and his first instinct was to ignore the call. His Millicent was at home, safe and he wouldn't mind sleeping at least a few more hours. The insistence of whoever wanted to contact him made him take the device that was on the floor next to his body, open only one eye and see who was calling him so early. It was Ben. He yawned and answered.

"Hello, Solo."

“Hux! Thanks the Maker!” he said in a relieved tone "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

“Phasma and I are at your door. We stopped by before going to work to see how you and Millicent are doing and meet the kittens, but you don't answer the door or the home phone. Before we knocked down the door, I decided to call your cell phone.”

Hux yawned again “Sorry. I was sleeping so soundly that I didn't hear anything.” he rubbed his face and hair and opened his eyes with the intention of getting up and going to receive them and only then realized why he had not heard his friends “Oh, _kriff_!” he said.

"What's it?" asked Ben, concerned.

"I didn't hear you because I'm not at _my home_." he looked around and recognized the place as Rose's room. Beside him, Millie and the kittens slept soundly.

"What? _Where_ are you?"

"To be exact, I'm in Miss Tico's room."

"Did you sleep at Rey's house?"

"Yes. I fell asleep and Miss Tico seems to have taken pity on me and decided not to wake me.”

He heard Phasma asking what was going on and Ben told her.

Hux smiled when he saw that Rose had taken care to put a pillow under his head and a soft blanket over his body.

"I put you on speaker." warned Ben and continued, "After so many days without being able to rest, I am not surprised that you fell asleep when you found Millicent." he said, “Do you need anything? Do you want us to go over there and help you bring them home?”

“I thank you both, but it will not be necessary. Millie will stay here for the next three weeks.” said Hux and told his friends about the conversation he had with Rose and about the arrangement they made "You will have to come here with me to meet my grandchildren." he finished.

"No problem, Hux." the two said and Phasma asked, “Do you want to take the day off? We can tell Snoke that you are sick.”

“It won't be necessary, Phas. I'm going to work, but I'm going to be a few hours late.”

"Okay." she said "Tell Millie that we send caresses behind her ear."

"I'll say."

"See you at work." said Ben.

"I knew he and Rose would get along!" he said to Phasma and, before Hux could say anything, hung up. He thought about calling and clearing up that misunderstanding, but Ben... well, Ben was not _entirely_ wrong. He and Rose had gotten along.

Hux stretched and sat down. He reached out and stroked Millie's fur, which opened her eyes and yawned lazily.

"Good morning, Millie." he said, stroking behind her ears and she purred lightly “Ben and Phasma said _'Hello'_ and asked me to pet you for them. Soon they will come to meet your kittens.”

He heard a light knock on the door and Rose came in next, bringing with her a delicious smell of food that filled the room.

“Good morning, Armitage. Good morning, Millicent.” she said with a smile and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Good morning, Rose."

"Did you sleep well?"

“Yes, as I haven't slept in a long time.”

"You looked so tired when you showed up at my door. I thought about waking you up, but you looked so deeply asleep that I thought it best to let you sleep." she went over to him and helped him to get up "I would have put you to bed," she said gesturing to the furniture "but I am not strong enough."

He felt his cheeks burning. "I slept very well here on the floor." he noticed that her bed was the same as it had been when he fell asleep. "Wait! Where did you sleep?"

"I slept in Rey's bed because I thought if you woke up in the middle of the night, you could go to bed alone."

“Oh… I'm so sorry for bothering you. I was really exhausted. I couldn't sleep well since Millie's disappearance.”

"Don't worry. You didn't bother me." she said with a smile "And how's Millie doing?"

He looked at the cat who seemed to pay attention to their conversation "She seems to be feeling completely at ease, as if she were at home."

Rose looked at the cat and smiled “Good to know that, as this will be her home in the coming weeks.” then looked back at him “I prepared our breakfast.”

"You didn't have to worry, Rose."

"Don’t worry. Rey and I do this every day. And I bet you didn't eat well either during those days that Millicent was missing.”

Before he could say anything, his stomach rumbled and she smiled "Shall we?" she said and he followed her into the kitchen.

The two ate and basically talked about Millicent. When they were finished, he helped her clean up the mess, put fresh water and food for the cat and said goodbye to her and the kittens.

He felt strangely comfortable with that situation and when she said goodbye, got in her car and drove away, he thought, as he drove home, how nice it would be to wake up to her smile every day.


	3. Chapter 3

As agreed, Hux went to Rose's house every night after work to visit Millicent, but the first week proved difficult for they to adapt to their new routine.

Hux was a man of habit and he was used to leaving work and going straight to his home so that he could not only be away from other humans but be with Millicent and often continue to work or read about things related to his work. Rose didn’t have a specific routine, and sometimes she visited her sister Paige when she left work or went to the grocery to buy what they needed at home or even went out with Rey and other co-workers to have dinner and forget a little about their responsibilities.

Because of her agreement with Armitage, she had to learn to have a more organized routine, that is, leave work and go home so that he could come in to fulfill his part of the agreement. But on the fourth day, a Thursday, she was not only unable to leave work on time but failed to warn Hux that she would be late. When she finally got home, about three hours later than she planned, there was a car parked in front of her driveway and, luckily, she recognized it before honking.

She got out of the vehicle, and when she reached the driver's window, she saw that Armitage was asleep behind the steering wheel and couldn't help feeling guilty. She tapped the glass gently and he woke up at once, looking confused and frightened and took a deep breath, relieved when he saw her from the other side of the window. He smiled and got out of the car.

“I'm sorry, Armitage. I had a setback and I was unable to contact you to let you know that I was going to be late.” she said with an apologetic smile "You must have other things to do and I hindered your plans by being late."

"Don't worry, Rose. My only plans for after work are to come here." he said and yawned "And I took a nap while I waited."

Ever since Rey had told her what had happened to him and warned her that he might be _cold_ or even _rude_ to her, Rose had been apprehensive, but aside from his reaction when she suggested that Millie stay at her house for safety, the redhead had always been polite, kind and understanding.

"Still, I feel guilty."

"Hard day?" he asked.

"Is it that obvious?" he nodded "We had a meeting with a possible investor and my cell phone died in the middle of the afternoon and I didn't memorize your number and, to top it off, I forgot the charger at home." she shot as the two walked to the front door of the house "I came home as fast as I could."

"I figured something was holding you back at work." he said in a sympathetic tone.

When she opened the door, Millicent was waiting for them and, to their surprise, she first greeted Rose by rubbing her head on the girl’s leg and only after receiving a caress from her host, she allowed Hux to take her in his arms.

"She _really_ likes you." he said with a surprised smile.

"And I also like her. Millicent is a great company." replied Rose and looked at him, curious "Are you jealous?"

"Yes, I am." he admitted and gave the cat a kiss on the head “I am used to having all her attention and affection just for me. But it looks like I'm going to have to get used to sharing it with you.”

"Yes, you have. At least until you take her home." she said and stroked Millie's head, her fingers touching his "I will miss her and the kittens when they leave."

"Don't be surprised if one day you come home from work and find Millie waiting for you." he said with a smile “And if you want, you can go and visit her. We will both love welcoming you to our home whenever you want to visit them.”

Rose smiled "You bet I will."

Hux nodded and took care of Millie's needs and, as it was late, he left as soon as he finished his tasks. When she was alone, Rose wrote to Rey:

> _**Rose:** _ _Rey, are you still awake?_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Yes. Did something happen?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _No, but I need to ask you for something._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Tell me._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I would like to give a copy of our house key to Armitage, but I will only do that if you agree._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Wait a second! Did I miss something? What are you hiding from me? You two…_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _No! You have a really dirty mind, girl!_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _You just asked me if you could give a copy of our house key to a guy you said yourself that you thought was handsome and attractive. What else did you want me to think?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _It's not because of_ _ME_ _. It's because of Millie._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Are you sure about that?_

Rose rolled her eyes and told her friend about what had just happened.

> _**Rose:** _ _He spent more than three hours outside waiting for me. He even slept in the car. I just think that if he can enter the house without having to wait for me to get home from work it will make things easier for both of us._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I understand and you are right._
> 
> _I trust him. Ben always spoke very highly of Hux and I trust his judgment. If you trust him too, I am not opposed to you giving him a copy of the key._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Thank you, Rey. I knew you would understand._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I can't believe that I will be out for another week. I was looking forward to coming here, but I miss you and Ben already and I can't wait to meet our guests._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I miss you too! And you will meet our guests. When you arrive you will still be able to enjoy them for a week._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I don't know if a week is going to be enough! Millicent could have waited for me to be home to give birth!_

Rose laughed.

> _**Rose:**_ _Today Armitage told me that I can go visit Millie whenever I miss her. I'm sure the invitation extends to you._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _It's not a bad idea. Maybe he'll even give you a key to his house too!_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _Rey!_
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _Sorry, I couldn't resist. I need to go to sleep now. We'll talk later. Love you._
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _I love you too._

The next day, during her lunch break, Rose took the opportunity to make a copy of the house key and, when she got home at night, handed it over to a confused Hux.

"What is it?" he asked, looking at the key in her hand, frowning.

“It's a copy of the front door key. It's for you.”

"I appreciate it, but I can't accept it, Rose." he countered.

"Yes, you can." she said in a slightly authoritative tone and then added in a softer tone " _Please?_ So you won't have to wait for me when I'm late and I won't feel guilty about being late."

"I don't mind waiting for you." he said and it made her heart beat faster.

"But I do care to keep you waiting for me."

He took a deep breath “Do you think it is sensible to give your house key to a stranger? You've known me for less than a week, Rose.”

The night they met and he fell asleep on her bedroom floor, she had thought about how risky it was to have someone who, aside from being happy to meet his cat and being Ben's best friend, could be a serial killer and that she could be his next victim and, for a few seconds, she had thought about waking him up so he could go home. But there was something in his eyes, something she didn't know exactly what it was, that had made her trust him and be able to sleep with a complete stranger in the next room. That had not changed. She still trusted him.

She stared at him “True, but you slept on my bedroom floor the first night we met and have been coming here every night since then. If you wanted to do me any harm, I think you would have done it already. And, you have a lifestyle superior to ours, I doubt we have anything you want to steal.”

His cheeks turned slightly red and he asked “And what will Rey say when she finds out? What if she is against it?”

"She already knows. I asked her opinion before doing this. She said she trusts you and I do too.”

She held the key out to him once more and when he hesitated, she took his hand and placed the key in his palm.

He looked at the key in his hand and back at her looking touched “This is a very kind gesture, Rose. Thank you.”

It was only after he left that night that she realized that on the nights she was late, she probably wouldn't see him and it almost made her regret giving him the key. Little time had passed, but she had already gotten used to seeing him every day and watching him while he interacted with his cat. Although she would miss seeing and hearing him, giving access to the house was the best solution for both of them at the time. But that fear of her, of not seeing him every night, was not realized, because even when she got home very late, he was still there keeping company for Millie until she arrived home.

True to his word, when she told him that she had already chosen a shelter to donate the reward money, he was happy and the two visited the chosen shelter together on Saturday. It had been a very special day for her. First, because she was helping those people to help animals. Second because she was able to spend an entire afternoon giving affection to the most varied animals and helping to care for some. And third because she saw other facets of Armitage. He seemed completely at home among the animals and she had seen him cry (and try to hide his tears) at least five times while one of the keepers told the stories of some of the animals they had rescued.

Hux had taken her home in the late afternoon and, after agreeing to have a bottle of wine with her, sitting side by side on the living room sofa, the two ended up talking about the past. He had talked about how he believed that Bazine, his ex-fiancée, was his true love, his soulmate, the woman with whom he would have a family and who would grow old by his side.

He talked about how he had been abandoned by her days before their wedding and how he had felt numb while listening to her say that she realized how much the dreams he had were different from hers and that what she felt for him was not enough for her to move on with their wedding plans. He talked about how he had always been a reserved man and struggling to trust people and relate to them and her words were a big blow to his self-confidence and self-esteem and had led him to close himself not only to love but to any kind of relationship with another woman. He told of how he had met Millicent and how her arrival in his life had distracted him from his pain and helped him through the process of canceling all the wedding preparations. It was thanks to the cat that he realized that, despite all his suffering, he had not lost the ability to love another living being unconditionally.

Rose had seen the pain in his eyes, heard the sadness in his voice and understood everything he had felt. Without thinking, she had taken his hand, wanting to actually hug and comfort him, but she stopped herself, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. He had squeezed her hand lightly, given her a grateful smile, and then it was Rose's turn to tell what had happened between her and her ex-boyfriend.

She told him about how she had found Finn with another woman at his house and had ended up discovering that they had been together for more than six months. During that time he had acted with indifference and disinterest, avoiding physical contact with her and giving all kinds of excuses for not meeting her and when she caught him with the other woman, everything had made sense. He had told her that he had fallen in love with the other girl, but he had not had the courage to break up because he knew how much Rose liked him and that he had hidden that he was with someone else so as not to make her suffer. Even though he wanted to save her from suffering, Finn had been relieved when she found out, because he was finally free to be with the woman he really loved. Like Armitage, she also believed that Finn was her soulmate and, although he never proposed to her, she believed that the two would one day marry and be a family. Although Finn told her that he would like them to be friends, she had at all costs avoided meeting him and had even stopped going to places she knew she could meet him.

A stubborn tear had run down her cheek when she had finished speaking and Armitage had smoothed his thumb over her skin and wiped it away. She felt relieved, as if telling Armitage everything had purged her of all the good and bad things she still felt for her ex. The two remained in a comfortable silence until they finished the wine, and only then did he thank her for the conversation and the trust, said goodbye to her and Millicent and left. She and Hux had great friends who they knew they could always count on, but finding someone who knew and understood so well the pain that the other felt and who they could talk to openly because they knew it would be perfectly understood was a relief.

After that conversation, Rose had felt that something had _changed_ between her and Armitage. Some kind of bond had formed between the two, and on the nights she came home before him, he greeted her with a smile when she opened the door, took Millicent in his arms and it was only after they talked about their days that he excused himself and went to her room. He sat beside the box with the kittens, took Millicent on his lap and talked to her while combing her fur with a brush.

Even though she knew it was wrong and that she shouldn't, Rose had gotten used to spy on their conversation. Rey had not exaggerated when she said that Millicent was _his emotional support cat_. He usually talked about his day and asked her how was hers and if she missed him and their home. She knew that moment was something intimate, a ritual for both of them, but she couldn't help but sneak silently down the hall and hear Hux talking to the cat. But that day, at the middle of the second week, she regretted listening in secret.

"You like Rose a lot, don't you?" he said to the cat "She is an amazing woman and I like her too." there was a pause and he continued “I never imagined that I would find someone with whom I would feel so comfortable talking about everything, Millie. I even told her about what happened when I met you and she told me that she was betrayed by the person she loved.” he chuckled "I think broken hearts recognize each other." more silence “No, I don't think I'm ready to, you know, get involved with someone else. These past few days have shown me that my heart is more whole than I thought, but I'm still afraid to get into another relationship and have my heart broken. I don't know if I would be able to recover so soon if I were abandoned again.”

He was silent “Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I didn't come to this world to be loved.” Millicent meowed and he laughed “I know you love me, Millie. I love you too." the cat started purring “I would love to have Rose in my life. She makes me feel _whole_ , _understood_ and _important_ . And I don't think anyone ever made me smile as much as she does and I never felt as _connected_ to another human being as I feel to her.”

There was another pause and her heart beat as she waited for his next words "Promise me that you won't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you, especially to Rose?" silence “I know you are trustworthy, Millie, but my words must be between us, because what I have to tell you is quite _embarrassing_ .” she heard him take a deep breath and when he spoke again, his tone was lower, but she could hear his words clearly "Ok, I'm having dreams..." he cleared his throat "well, not just dreams, but a lot of thoughts and I have daydreams too..." he cleared his throat again "In the last few days I had _inappropriate thoughts_ and _dreams_ about Rose."

It took her a few seconds to understand what he meant by _inappropriate_ and she felt her face heat up “Sometimes I wake up from these dreams and I'm so…” he cleared his throat “I try to take a deep breath and ignore it, think of something other than Rose, in the hope that it will soften, but… but usually the opposite happens and I end up having to…” one more pause “As you know, it's been so long since I… that there is no one in my life and I think my body...” he took a deep breath “… And I must admit that it has been difficult to look her in the eye without remembering every detail of those dreams. There are times when I need to get away from her before doing something that I can regret later, but the…” he stopped and breathed.

She held her breath, anxious for him to finish the sentence “No, Millie, I _can't_ say that to her! Not only would it be inappropriate but she could slap me and forbid me to come here! Maybe if I don't let her realize how I feel, she and I can be friends after I take you home.” he said nervously and then went silent “I always wanted to have a family and when I met you, it was like I became a father and I am happy with things as they are. I have you, my friends and my career.” she heard Millie hissing and then he said “ _Ouch! Millicent!_ That hurt! Why did you scratch me?” the cat made an angry sound "I know I'm being a coward, Millie, but you don't have to be violent." more silence “There is no point looking at me that way. I already thought about it a lot and decided it was better not to take any chances.”

Rose decided she had heard enough and tried to ignore the pain in her chest and the tears flooding her eyes. About half an hour later, when Armitage said goodbye to her and left, she allowed herself to examine her feelings. Why did listening to what he said hurt her so much if, after all, she felt the same way? She also felt connected and at ease with him and enjoyed his company and also felt that she was not ready to start a new relationship. Having been betrayed by Finn and discovering it the way she did, had severely damaged her ability to trust another man. But even so, hearing him say he would give up on her before he even tried, made her sad.

Being friends with Armitage was not difficult. Since the night they talked about their pasts, the two had become closer and started to exchange messages and talk more about their lives to each other. The two had many interests in common and she was happy to discover that since, for her, he had already become someone important in her life, someone she would like to always have around. She had searched for him on social media and discovered that he only had a Twitter account and started to follow him and share the photos and videos of Millie and the kittens with him. When looking at his posts, she realized that Armitage basically posted about Millicent, about work-related things and retweeted cute animal posts. She had expected to see something about his ex-fiancée, but given the way things had ended between them, it must have been too painful to keep memories of someone who had hurt him so deeply. She hadn't had the courage to do the same with her posts with Finn, as they were part of the happiest moments she had with him and reminded her that she wasn't responsible for their relationship ending, but she had blocked her ex boyfriend and unfollowed him on all her social media.

Despite the fact that she also had inappropriate dreams about Armitage and even _touched herself_ and took pleasure in fantasizing about him and the dreams she had, she _thought_ she could just be his friend. But the problem was that part of her still believed in love, and after getting to know him better, that part had come to wish the two could be more than friends, maybe _friends with benefits_ , and try to heal their broken hearts together. Now she would have to ignore that part of herself so that they could be nothing but friends. Friends who had erotic dreams, fantasized and masturbated thinking about each other, but _only friends_.

Maybe this really was the best for both of them.

Maybe he was right and it was better not to take any chances.

Needing to vent with someone who would help her process everything she was feeling at that moment, she took out her cell phone and typed a message to Rey:

> _**Rose:**_ _Hey! Please tell me that you are still awake._

Her friend was quick to reply:

> _**Rey:** _ _Yes,_ _I am_ _. Can't you sleep?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I actually wanted to ask you something._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _What?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _How did you know?_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _How did I know what, exactly?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _T_ _hat I would like Hux._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I didn't know. But since you two went through very similar situations, I was hoping that you two would get along and maybe become friends._
> 
> _WAIT a minute! Are you telling me you like, LIKE him?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Maybe._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Maybe?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _Ok. A little. I kept my_ _walls_ _up_ _at the beginning because of what you told me, but he has been nothing but kind and considerate to me since we met._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _And this is great!!!_
> 
> _Isn't it?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I don't know._

She told her friend about what she heard him saying to Millicent.

> _**Rey:**_ _Did he have erotic dreams about you? And he masturbates thinking about you?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _That's what he said._
> 
> _And maybe I also did the same thinking about him._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _WHAT?_
> 
> _Maybe?_
> 
> _Really?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _Okay. I did the same. Happy?_
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _OMG!_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _I know._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _I am so happy for you!_
> 
> _All I want most is for you to get over Finn and be happy again._
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _I want that too, but I don't think things between Armitage and me can work out. I could hear the pain in his voice when he said he thought he was the problem and no one would ever love him and he thought it was better not to take any chances and just be my friend._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _He was_ _so_ _affected by the end of_ _his_ _last relationship, Rose. I think it's normal for him to be afraid to try again._
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _I understand how he feels and that is why I think maybe he is right and we should just be friends._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _And is just being friends with him enough for you?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _I don't know. I think I'm_ _afraid too_ _._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _Do you think you still like Finn?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _Honestly?_
> 
> _I'm not sure._
> 
> _I haven't thought about him in a few days and I don't remember looking at our photos either._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _And does this time coincide with the time you know Hux?_
> 
> _**Rose:**_ _Yes._
> 
> _But maybe it's not because of Armitage, but because I spend all my free time paying attention to Millicent and the_ _kittens_ _._
> 
> _**Rey:**_ _How did you feel when you told Hux about Finn?_

She thought for a few seconds before answering:

> _**Rose:** _ _It was painful to remember everything again, but when I finished speaking, I felt relieved._
> 
> _Free._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Free?_
> 
> _As in_ _'ready for a new relationship'?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Did you forget what I just wrote? He would rather be my friend than take chances and be heartbroken again._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Are you just going to give up too? What if he is the love of your life? Your soulmate?_

Rose didn't know what to say and her friend continued:

> _**Rey:** _ _Do you remember how insecure I felt when I met Ben? You helped me overcome this insecurity and if it weren't for your help, he and I wouldn't be together and happy._
> 
> _The Rose Tico I know is not the type of girl to step back when she encounters a challenge or difficulty._
> 
> _The Rose Tico I know is a_ _FIGHTER_ _!_

She pondered Rey's words for a few seconds. She was known for always looking to see the good side of things and for never giving up. She had just forgotten about it and maybe it was time to be that girl again.

> _**Rose:** _ _Maybe you're right._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I know I'm right!_
> 
> _And I think you should show him exactly what he is missing out on just being your friend._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Rey Niima, what exactly do you have in mind?_
> 
> _Are you suggesting that I seduce_ _him_ _?_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _YES!_
> 
> _He already likes you, Rose. He just needs help to overcome his fear._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Niima, I don't know if you are an angel or a demon!_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Neither, Tico. I'm a genius!_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Ok, I admit that the idea is not bad. But I will need to think about it._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Okay. Take your time._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Thank you for listening to me and helping me remember who I am._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _You're welcome._
> 
> _And remember, I'm here for whatever you need._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Thank you, my friend. I can't wait for you to come home!_
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _Me too. Just three more days and we can talk face to face._
> 
> _And, whatever you decide to do, I will be by your side._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Thank you, Rey. I love you._
> 
> _**Rey:** _ _I love you too._

Rose fell asleep pondering the pros and cons of Rey's suggestion and came to the conclusion that the worst that could happen was that Armitage still wanted to be just her friend. The next morning, when she opened her eyes, Millie was lying on the pillow next to her head, her green eyes watching her intently.

"Good morning, Millie." she said "I overheard your conversation with your human yesterday and I got the impression that you didn't like the part where he gave up on me before he even tried." Millie blinked slowly and looked at her "Do you think it's a good idea for me _to seduce_ your dad?" she asked and the cat, to her surprise, licked her cheek. Rose laughed and hugged the cat "I'll take that as a _yes_."

**\---**

A week had passed and, although it was difficult in the firsts days, Hux was surprised at how easily he adapted to his new routine. Every day he left work and went to Rose's place instead of his own and, he had to admit to himself, it wasn't just to see his daughter and grandchildren.

He also looked forward to seeing the _girl_ again.

Even without realizing it, he counted the hours to see her again. Rose was a strong and gentle woman who, without knowing it, was managing to break down the walls he had put around his heart and waking up certain feelings that he thought were dead. She had surprised him with her strong personality and radiant smile and the fact that she and Millicent got along so well had left him enchanted and unable to be anything but kind to her.

On the second day, when Rose asked him if he had already considered whether he would keep all the kittens or give them up for adoption, his heart ached when he thought of separating Millie from her babies and knew that there was only one answer to that question: he would keep the four. After making that decision, he had looked at the genders of the kittens and discovered that there were two females and two males. Rose had smiled when he asked her to help him choose their names and the two of them had fun while listing names and reaching an agreement on which one best suited each of them. The orange was a female and Rose called her Goldie and named Honey one of the males. Hux named the other female as Cayenne and as Blaze the other male, who were the most active kittens.

On the fourth day, she arrived late from work and surprised him the next day by giving him a copy of the key to her house, and while it made their lives easier, it meant that he would also risk not seeing her every night. In order not to miss any opportunity to see her, he had decided that he would expect Rose to come home using the excuse of keeping Millie company, when in fact what he wanted was to be able to see her smile before going home.

When she told him that she had chosen the shelter to which he would donate the reward money, he was happy to be able to spend more time with her. On Saturday the two visited the animal shelter called _‘Four-legged Angels’_ in the city center and made the donation. Rose had told him that she and Rey were in the habit of not only donating money to shelters but also visiting animals whenever they had free time, and he offered to accompany her whenever she wanted.

Hux already knew that the number of abandoned animals was large, but he had been surprised to learn of the number of animals that had been rescued by the shelter staff because of reports of mistreatment. There were even animals that had been mutilated by being put up to fight in illegal gambling houses. Fascinated, he had watched Rose while she petted and talked to the animals. She looked like the sun itself, radiating her light and spreading love everywhere. He loved Millicent and had a special connection with her, but he never imagined that someone could love animals as much and connect as quickly with them as Rose did.

The two spent hours with the animals, caring and helping the shelter staff. Afterward, he had taken her home and, after taking care of Millie's needs and spending time with her and his grandchildren, Rose had invited him over for wine, and two glasses later he had ended up telling her his story with Bazine. Talking about his past with his ex was always painful and he avoided talking about, because talking about it made him feel like he was going through everything again. But somehow, he felt different when he finished this time. Rose had held his hand when he finished his story and it had made him feel _comforted_ and _understood_ and, for the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to enjoy being in the company of another human being besides his friends.

Then it was her turn to speak and he listened carefully as she talked about her last relationship. She and Finn had been together for two years when she found out that he had someone else. She had caught him with another woman after being treated with indifference and disinterest for months and he had told her that he hadn’t had the courage to end their relationship and was waiting for her to get tired of him and end it all. Hux had felt bad for her and thought that if he ever came face to face with Finn, he would love to punch him for making someone like Rose suffer and when he saw a tear running down her cheek, he couldn't resist the urge to wipe it off. He wished he could embrace and comfort her, but he restrained himself, not wanting her to think that he was trying to take advantage of her in her moment of vulnerability.

That conversation marked the beginning of something new between them and after that night, the two began to exchange messages regularly. The subjects were the most varied and he ended up discovering more about her life and, in return, told more about his. He loved it when she sent him photos and videos of the kittens, but he was surprised when she followed him on Twitter. She started tagging him in the posts she made with pictures and videos of Millie and the kittens and he, curious, had looked at her oldest posts and found out who her ex boyfriend was. She hadn't deleted the posts where she mentioned him or that contained photos from the period they were together. Unlike Rose, Hux had deleted from his account any and all posts that reminded him of Bazine or their relationship, and if Rose had done the same as him and looked at his old posts, she would have only seen posts about Millicent and his work.

He had felt an increasing discomfort when he saw the pictures of the two together or with friends and it was while reading other people's comments about how perfect they were for each other that he realized _how much_ things inside him had changed. He realized that he was _jealous_ of her and that, little by little, he had started to _like_ her and that scared him. Of course he should have realized that he felt something for her the moment he found himself having inappropriate thoughts about her often and having erotic dreams about her. It had practically become a routine to wake up hard after dreaming about her and having to take care of his arousal while trying not to think about how much he wished she were there with him and what he would do to her if she was. He had even commented on his feelings with Millie, but had avoided saying certain things for fear that Rose would hear him.

He definitely liked Rose and the fact that his unsociable and protective Millicent also liked her only made him like her even more. He felt extremely comfortable and connected to her and he would love to have her in his life, but he was afraid to try again, to open his heart to someone else and be abandoned again, even if the woman in question had been through things similar to what he had been. He didn't know if he would be able to recover again, so he decided that the best thing was just to be Rose's friend.

Maybe, in time, she would find someone who deserved her and would make her happy as she deserves and was not the coward he was.

Or maybe he could overcome his fear of being hurt, allow himself to love again and their friendship would become something more.

_Maybe_.


	4. Chapter 4

With Rey's return home, the dynamic between Hux and Rose has not changed much.

Just as Rose had said, Rey had not only not been opposed but had been happy with their arrangement and always welcomed him with a smile. He had already been introduced to her by Ben when the two started dating, but, he had to admit, the only thing he remembered about her was the way she wore her hair up in three buns. Ben, who had already visited the kittens along with Phasma and Poe the week before, was now also always around. Millicent also looked happy and at ease with everything and, according to Rose, had welcomed Rey as if they had known each other forever.

To celebrate Rey's return, Rose had organized a dinner and invited him, Ben, Phasma and Poe. While watching his friends talking, Hux couldn't help but notice how he missed being surrounded by his friends. When Bazine broke up with him, he closed himself off to any kind of social life other than work. If it weren't for Ben and Phasma's stubbornness and persistence, he probably would have lost all his friends and sunk further in his pain and suffering. And now, he was reunited with them and two new friends and happy that they were so stubborn and persistent.

Sitting next to Rose, he had listened while she related everything that had happened in the past two weeks and had gladly helped her to remember the details. Both he and Rose had blushed when Poe asked if they were together. Rose had looked at him sadly before saying that they were just  _good friends_ . It also did not go unnoticed to him that he and Rose were the  _third wheel_ there. The two couples seemed to make a point of exchanging kisses, caresses and compliments every minute. He knew that they were not doing it on purpose. Even though a long time had passed, he still remembered what it felt like to be in love and how the world around you ceased to exist when you were with a loved one. Rey and Ben seemed to communicate through looks and touches and Phasma and Poe looked at each other as if they were about to tear each other's clothes and have sex right there in front of everyone.

Although he touched Rose whenever he had the chance, his heart raced every time  she looked at him and smiled or spoke his name, and when he said goodbye to her at the end of the night, his resolve to just be her friend seemed completely meaningless.

During the third week, his resolution was further shaken. On one of the nights Rose arrived late from work, he hadn't seen her go into  her bathroom and, thinking she was in Rey's room, had entered her room without knocking on the door and had come across her leaving the bathroom adjusting the towel on  her body. He had been paralyzed for a few seconds, gaping at the exposed skin and that sight had made his body respond in an extremely  _inconvenient_ way. He had apologized and turned toward the door, trying to hide the growing volume in his pants, and left the room. Standing in the hall, he took a deep breath and tried to ignore his throbbing erection, but the image of Rose was etched into his retinas and the more he tried not to think about her the harder he got.

In a panic, he had sent a message to Ben, who was in the kitchen with Rey, saying what had happened and asking for help to keep the two girls out of Rey's room while he tended to his inconvenient erection in  her bathroom. Embarrassed, it had been practically impossible for him to face Rose again and he had said goodbye to everyone earlier than was his habit and went home.

It wasn't long before Hux regretted asking Ben for help. Since dinner at the girls' house, his friends had been commenting on how he and Rose matched and they thought that the two were a beautiful couple, but after Ben had told Phasma about the incident at Rose's house, the two had started a campaign whose sole purpose was to convince him to invite Rose on a date.

"How can you think of just being her friend if your body is reacting like that in her presence, you idiot." Phasma had said when he made it clear that he had decided to just be Rose's friend.

"What other proof do you need to finally admit that you are in love with her?" Ben had asked "We all saw that you two always managed to touch each other and friends don't usually act that way, but people in love do."

He had felt his cheeks burning when he heard Ben's comment, because he thought he had been subtle "Rose and I get along really well and I'm not going to risk what we have." he had said and then, before he could stop himself, he added, "Besides, I doubt she feels anything for me."

His two friends exchanged a look that he knew well. It was the same look they used to exchange when he was being stubborn and refusing to accept the truth.

"You want to believe that she doesn't like you because it makes it easier for you to deny your own feelings." Phasma had said.

"Hux, we understand your fear and will always be by your side, but as your friends, it is our duty to open your eyes to what you are refusing to see." Ben had said.

Phasma had agreed, "Love involves  _risk_ . You can't spend the rest of your life in fear of loving just because you got hurt once."

“Don't let your fear make you lose someone as special as Rose. You both deserve to be happy.” completed Ben.

He had promised to think about everything they said and, once alone with his thoughts, he started to think about everything that had happened in his life in the past few days. Just over two weeks had passed since he first heard  her voice and since he had seen  her face, but the impression he had was that he had known  Rose all his life. It was obvious that he was in love with Rose, but it was not easy to admit it, because when he admitted that he was in love, it was also obvious that his decision to just be friends with her was the most hasty decision he had ever made in his life.

Ben and Phasma were right. Loving involved risks and taking risks involved being happy as well as suffering. He had already spent a lot of time in his bubble of self-pity and it was time to give love a new chance and allow himself to get involved with someone again. He was being a coward hiding behind his fear so he could remain safe and be unhappy. But admitting that he was being a coward was easier than building up the courage to act, and that only happened when the day to bring Millie home came.

That night, Hux drove determined not to return home without first inviting Rose on a date. However, his determination turned to dust when he approached her house and saw that she was standing on the sidewalk embracing another man. He stopped before  they could see  him and watched them from afar. The two separated and the man said something that made her smile and nod and then placed a kiss on her cheek, got in her car and drove away. She stood on the sidewalk watching his car drive away with a big smile on her face and only entered the house when the car was out of sight.

Hux parked in front of her house and held the steering wheel tightly while waves of pure jealousy threatened to drown out what little reason he had left. He was feeling like a fool! How could he have thought that a woman as incredible as Rose would be available or that she had romantic feelings for him?

Minutes, or perhaps hours passed, as he tried to muster the strength to get out of the car and go to the house, but when he felt tears flooding his eyes, he knew he would not be able to face her now. He needed to get out of there.

Without thinking about exactly what he was doing, Hux drove back to his home and it was only when he sat on the  couch surrounded by darkness that he realized that today was not just the day when he would invite Rose for a date as  it was also the day he would bring Millie and the kittens home.

As if she could read his mind,  his cell phone rang. It was Rose. He knew that, in his condition, he couldn't say a word without crying, so he just held the device and stared at it until she hung up. She insisted three more times and he just looked at her name on the screen until she gave up calling.

Minutes later, she sent him a message:

> _**Rose:** _ _Armie, where are you?_
> 
> _Did something happen?_
> 
> _Are you alright?_
> 
> _Today is the big day and we are waiting for you!_

She sent a picture of her with the five cats on her lap and  his heart ached when he saw her smile. He forced himself to wait a few more minutes before answering:

> _**Hux:** _ _I'm here, Rose._
> 
> _I'm sorry._
> 
> _Mind if I pick them up tomorrow?_
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _No problem, Armie. But you were so eager to take them home. Did something happen?_
> 
> _**Hux:** _ _I was prevented from reaching your home._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Are you okay?_
> 
> _Do you need any help?_
> 
> _**Hux:** _ _Nothing serious._
> 
> _I just had a really hard day and I have a really bad headache._
> 
> _I already took a painkiller and I will try to sleep now._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _I am relieved that it is nothing serious._
> 
> _I was so worried when you didn't show up and didn't answer my calls._
> 
> _**Hux:** _ _I should have warned you, I'm sorry for worrying you._
> 
> _**Rose** _ _: It is okay._
> 
> _The important thing is that you are safe and I want you to know that I am here if you need anything._

He wanted to write that the only thing he needed at that moment was to be with her, but he stopped himself.

> _**Hux:** _ _Thank you, Rose._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _See you tomorrow?_
> 
> _**Hux:** _ _Yes, of course._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Millie asked me to tell you that she misses you._
> 
> _**Hux:** _ _Please tell her that I miss her too and that I love her._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _She said she loves you too._
> 
> _**Hux:** _ _Good night, Rose._
> 
> _**Rose:** _ _Good night, Armie._

Taking a deep breath, he started to think of reasons to stay away from Rose. First, it would be very difficult to keep in touch with her knowing that she was with someone else and he didn't think he had the strength to face that situation. Second, he was already used to his lonely life and…  _and who was he trying to deceive?_ He  _couldn't_ get back to his old life! Before, his life had been divided between before and after he was abandoned, but now, everything had become before and after meeting Rose.

Yes, it would be difficult, torture actually, to see her in the arms of another man, but to be able to see her smile, to hear her defend her point of view passionately, to see her eyes sparkle when watching Millie playing with her kittens was worth any suffering that not being with her could cause him. Having Rose in  his life, even if only as a friend, would be better than not having her at all.

He looked at the photos and videos on his cell phone. The difference was impossible to miss. His eyes had shone again and when he smiled, it was for real and not the lifeless smiles he gave people so they wouldn't ask too many questions. Rose had brought him back to life.

That night, he couldn't sleep properly, his dreams were haunted by the image of Rose in the arms of an unknown man who was taking her away from him. He shouted her name and tried to reach her, but he couldn't move. He woke up exhausted and tried to concentrate on work but ended up spending the day trying to muster up the courage to go to Rose's house.

However, when he got there, it was Rey who met him at the door with Millie. He shouldn't have thought it strange that she should receive him, since that house was also hers, but he had spent the day looking forward to seeing Rose's smile.

"Hello, Rey." he said with a smile and bent down to put the  transport boxes on the floor and take Millie in his arms.

"Hello, Hux." she said and closed the door "The little angels just wake up and are spending some energy. They are more curious with each passing day.”

He looked around anxiously, looking for a sign, any sign of Rose's presence, but only saw the four  kittens exploring the room on their unsteady paws.

"Rose was unable to come home." she informed him as if she could read his thoughts, or maybe, she just realized that he had been looking for  her friend "But she asked me to help you prepare everything to take them home."

"Did something happen to her boyfriend?" he asked before he could stop himself.

" _Boyfriend?_ " she said, confused “Rose doesn't have a boyfriend. She's been alone since Finn left her.”

" _Oh!_ " was all he managed to say.

So the man he had seen the night before was not Rose's boyfriend and he had panicked for nothing and missed yet another opportunity to tell her how he felt about her and invite her on a date.

"Paige, her sister, found out she is pregnant." continued Rey “The two and Paige's husband went to their parents' house to share the news. She should be back by tomorrow.”

Relieved, he couldn't help but smile. But his relief was short-lived.

"Why did you think she has a boyfriend?" Rey asked, looking at him curiously.

"I..." he started and cleared his throat "I thought I saw her with a man on the sidewalk the other night when I came to visit Millie."

She raised her eyebrows and he could see in her eyes that she knew he had lied to Rose when he said he was at home with a headache. Great. Now, in addition to being a coward, he was a liar.

“Whoever you saw, I can guarantee you weren't her boyfriend. Although my friend is, in fact, interested in someone, she thinks he doesn't have the same interest in her.”

He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable with the way Rey looked at him. "Whoever he is, he would be a fool if he let someone like Rose escape."

"We agree on that and that is exactly what I keep telling her."

Cayenne, the most curious and active of the kittens, started to climb his leg, followed closely by Blaze and the two laughed. Hux took the two carefully, placed several kisses on their small heads as they both tried to break free and explore again. Instead of putting them back on the floor, he opened the door  of the transport box and carefully placed  them inside.

"I will miss them so much!" said Rey taking the other two who were playing with Millicent's tail and placing kisses on their heads before handing them over to Hux.

“You can go and see them whenever you want. You will always be welcome to our home." he said.

"You can count on it." she said with a smile.

Millicent sat next to the box with the kittens and meowed "No, you're going  in the other one, little lady." he said and put  her in the other box while she meowed, upset that she wouldn't be with her kittens.

While Rey went to Rose's room to get Millie's things, he kept collecting the things that were in the kitchen and in the living room and took advantage of the fact that he was alone to check his cell phone, hoping that Rose had texted him, but to his disappointment, there was nothing, no message, email or missed call.  _Nothing_ . He felt sad, but he tried to remind himself that she was celebrating with her family and, although they were friends, she was under no obligation to report everything that happened in her life to him. 

After gathering all the things, together they took everything to the car. When they finished, Hux handed Rey the key that Rose had given him and said, “I don't think I'm going to need this anymore. Thank you for everything, Rey. You both received and looked after my family as if they were yours."

She smiled “Believe me, Hux, for both me and Rose it was a pleasure to have them here. Having you in our lives was very good for Rose. It was great to see her happy again. Her smile is always brighter when she is with  _you_ .”

He felt his heart racing. "Really?" she nodded "Getting to know you two was also very good for me. Rose is an amazing girl."

"She is." agreed Rey.

They said goodbye and, as he drove home, he couldn't shake the feeling that Rey was trying to tell him something, but she didn't want to speak directly.

Did Rose like him too? Did she think about him as much as he thought about her and longed to be with him as much as he longed to be with her? Was she also afraid to try and was just waiting for a sign from him, a sign that he wanted to be with her too, so she could put that fear aside and take a chance? Did she think he didn't like her?

He didn't have to wait long to get answers. The next night, when the doorbell rang and he opened the door, he came face to face with Rose.

" _Rose?!_ " he said in a surprised and amazed tone.

She smiled and his heart sped up "Hello, Armie."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Her smile started to fade and she said, “Sorry. I couldn't say goodbye to Millie and the kittens yesterday and I wanted to make a surprise. I came at a bad time?"

“Bad time? No, not at all.” he hurried to say, "It's just that I would have taken care of the mess if I knew you were on your way." he said, referring more to his inner mess than to the house and realized he was still standing at the door "Please, Rose, come in. Welcome to our home." he said getting out of the way.

"How are Millie and the kittens doing?" she asked as he closed the door.

“They are fine. The kittens started to explore the house and even learned to climb the couch.”

She smiled "I missed them running around the house." she said.

“Do you want to see them? They're in there with Millie.”

"Later." she said and her face became serious "First I need to ask you something." he nodded and she continued "Rey told me that you saw me with a man in front of our house and thought he was my boyfriend." nervous, he swallowed hard and nodded “Since we met, the only time I said goodbye to someone on the sidewalk was on the night that you told me you had a headache and that you were not going to be able to catch Millie and the kittens. Can I know why you lied to me?”

She looked at him, waiting for an answer. She deserved to know the truth "I lied because when I saw you with that man, I thought you were together."

“That man was Finn.”

“Your ex.”

“Yes. I asked him to go over there and get some of his things that were left at my house and that I had neither had the courage to throw away nor to return to him before.”

"I thought you didn't want to talk to him anymore."

"And I didn't want to. It was difficult to look into the eyes of someone I loved and who betrayed me."

"I know very well how you feel."

"I know." she said and continued, "I could have just thrown it all away, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to test my theory.

"What theory?" he asked, curious.

"That I had forgotten him, that I didn't love him anymore."

Her words took him by surprise and he couldn't help asking in a hopeful tone "And was your theory right? Did you forget him?"

She nodded " _Completely_ ."

" _Completely_ ?" he repeated  and she nodded again . He smiled, happy "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that."

"Really?" she said, curious "May I know why?"

He stared at her and took a deep breath, building up the courage to open his heart once again "Because, that night I saw you with him, I intended to invite you on a date, but I thought you were already with someone else."

"Were you going to ask me out on a date?" she asked, her brown eyes shining.

He nodded "I thought it was time to try again, that I should put my fear aside." he admitted “But when I saw you two hugging, I was so jealous that I could hardly breathe. And I ended up letting my fear convince me that I had lost you, that there was no chance that someone as incredible as you would be interested in someone as pathetic as me.” he looked at his own feet "So instead of fighting for you, I came home and ended up making a list of reasons to stay away from you." he said and looked her in the eye "And while I listed the reasons, I realized that I couldn't live without you in my life anymore and that it was better to just be your friend than never see your smile again."

She gave him a slight smile and looked briefly at her hands before saying "I overheard your conversation with Millicent." he frowned  and she explained  "The one where you said that even though you liked me, you didn't want to take any chances." 

“Oh, _kriff_!” he whispered feeling his cheeks burning, for it was not just what he confessed to his cat that night "That Armitage _is no more_." he heard himself say "At least the one who wanted to be just your friend." 

The two stared at each other for a few seconds and then she walked over to him until their bodies were less than a step away “I'm glad that it wasn’t in vain to have purposely paraded only in a towel in front of you and to have thrown myself at you whenever I had the opportunity.” she said with a mischievous smile.

Without  his permission,  his eyes traveled over her body and back to her face  and h e stared at her, gaping when he understood the meaning of  her words, his heart racing “Wait,  _what?_ Did you…  _did you do all that on purpose?_ ”

She nodded "Since you seemed so determined to give up on me without even trying, I decided to try to seduce you and show you what you were missing out on just being my friend."

Memories of the past few days flashed through his mind. Rose had always been kind and friendly to him and when she started giving physical displays of affection, touching him with her hands or hugging him or sitting closer to him, he had interpreted it only as she feeling comfortable with his presence and that it was proof that she saw him only as a  _friend_ . And he had taken advantage of that, touching her too. In addition, there were the photos and videos she sent him. Some were just of the cats, but there had been  others where she appeared  and  the angle the photos were taken from had given him a privileged view of her delightfully full breasts and fed  his imagination even more. And the incident in her room had been  _planned_ ? Did she know what he had done next or did she suspect how many times he had masturbated thinking about that scene and how he wished he had seen her without the towel?

All that time he had thought that she didn't feel the same way about him, even with everyone around him saying and pointing out the opposite, including Rose herself, but he had let his fear blind him and only now was he seeing the truth.

"You did a great job." he said with a sweet smile “For a long time I was held hostage by my fear of being hurt again, but, I'm not afraid anymore, Rose. I'm in love with you. I'm ready  and  I want to leave my past behind and take all the risks with you.”

"I'm also ready to try again, Armitage." she began, looking at his lips and back at his eyes " And i f you had come in that night and told me it all, I could have said that I feel the same way as you and by this time, we would have already done that.” she said and kissed him.

For a second, he hesitated. But when the reality of what was happening hit him, when the sensation of her lips against his was finally registered by his brain, his arms wrapped around  her waist and he responded to the kiss with enthusiasm.

If anyone asked, he would not be able to say how they had managed to get to his room without stumbling or without hitting any obstacles on their path. He only knew that in one moment he was kissing Rose in the living room, his body on fire and responding to the proximity of hers and, in the next, she had her legs wrapped around his hips, their mouths devouring themselves, she rubbing herself against his hard member and then, pow! he was laying Rose gently on his bed, her hands deftly unbuttoning his shirt.

He broke the kiss just to ask, "Is that really what you want?"

She gave him a mischievous smile and, in response, pulled him in for another hot kiss that he responded with renewed enthusiasm. He wanted to be able to explore every bit of  her body with his mouth first, but they were both too  _hungry_ to wait and when he was finally inside her for the first time, his eyes fixed on hers,  her small hands holding  his shoulders as if they were  her anchor, Hux understood that he loved her and that all he wanted most was to be able to spend the rest of his life beside her and making her feel like the happiest woman in the world.

He watched her face as he brought her closer and closer to her climax and, fascinated by how beautiful she was, he heard himself saying "I love you, Rose."

She moaned and said "I love you too, Armie." and then he felt her climax and her pleasure made him come too.

It was at that moment, his eyes fixed on her face and feeling his semen dripping from her mixed with her juices that he realized that the two had forgotten something extremely important. _Condoms_. They had forgotten to use a condom!

He lay down beside her and pulled her against him, hugging her. She placed a kiss on his chest, placed herself on her elbow and looked him in the eye "Some problem?" she asked when she noticed the change in  his expression from extremely happy to worried.

"I don't think you will love me that much if I say."

"What's it? Didn’t you like it?" she asked, her voice a little uncertain and her body tensing.

" _What?_ " he said “Of course I liked it, Rose! You are incredible.” he smiled "My dreams didn't even come close to reality."

She gave him a sweet smile that made  his heart race "So, what is it?" she insisted, her body relaxing again.

He took a deep breath, summoning up the courage and said, "We forgot to use a condom, Rose." she looked at her legs covered with  their mixed fluids and back to him “I'm sorry, I was so happy that you felt the same as me, that I didn't remember the  _kriffing_ condoms! Are you using any other contraceptive method?”

"No, I stopped taking pills when I was alone." she said in a calmer tone than he had expected “And it's not just your fault, Armie. The last thing that crossed my mind was to use a condom because, as I used contraceptives, Finn and I rarely used condoms.”

He pulled her against him and she snuggled into his arms. The two were silent for a few seconds while he slowly stroked her hair.

"Please don't be angry at what I'm going to say." he started and felt her nod against his chest "The very idea that you can get pregnant tonight makes me the happiest man in the world." she raised her head so she could look him in the eye "I always wanted to have my own family and I thought having Millie was enough, but that changed when I met you." he said and his hand rested on her belly before continuing "I know it's too early to even think about it, but I would love for this slip of ours to have a  _consequence_ , because what I want most is to have a family with you, Rose Tico." she stared at him for a few seconds and he added "If that's what you want, too, of course."

She put a hand on his hand on her belly and smiled "Yes."

" _Yes?_ "

“Yes, Armitage Hux. I want to have a family with you too.” she said.

He smiled and pulled her in for another kiss, happy because despite  his fear and cowardice, despite everything she had suffered, their story had a happy ending.


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this story and I hope you enjoyed it too.

**Epilogue**

The house was finally quiet.

Her kittens had finally fallen asleep after suckling and the couple of humans in the room had finished mating and had also fallen asleep.

The matchmaker looked again at her sleeping kittens before leaving them. She walked through the gloom of the corridor until she reached _Sad_ _Dad_ 's room, the human who had cared for her since she could remember. The two lived together since she was just a newborn and only three other humans were constant companions in their lives: the tall, strong male with long black hair that she called _Stormy_ , the tall, blonde female with a thunderous laugh that she called _Bossy_ and her companion with sweet look she called _Charming_. Among these three humans, Stormy was the one who spent the most time with her dad and her and Millicent liked him not only because he always brought her a snack but also because he always helped her dad when he was depressed.

Her dad talked to her a lot, but it took her a while to understand that all of his sadness and isolation was because he had been abandoned by the female he loved and that had made him afraid to let another female of his species into his life.

When her own reproductive instincts led her to find potential mating partners, she realized that this was what was missing in her dad's life and that maybe, if he found a human female to mate and have his own babies, she could stop calling him Sad Dad and start calling him _Happy_ or even _Blissful_ _Dad_.

She knew he would not leave his self-isolation willingly, so it was up to her to find a way to help him, and for that, she needed to find a female who was strong and persevering to pass the wall of sadness that enveloped her human and at the same time sweet and patient to be able to help him heal his broken heart. After searching for a _suitable_ female in their neighborhood, the _perfect_ female had found her. Well, not exactly the female, but her _scent_ . Stormy had brought it with him when he came to visit them about two months ago. As soon as he entered, Millie had sniffed the scent of two females. The scent of one was stronger and perfectly matched Stormy's, but the scent of the other female blended perfectly with that of her human and in that moment she knew that that female, _Sunshine_ as she named her, was the perfect match for her dad.

It had not been easy to locate the place where Sunshine lived, but thanks to Stormy's many visits, she managed to find out. One day she snuck into his car and he drove to the place where his mate, _Sunny_ , lived. Luckily for her, the two females lived together and now she just needed to make her dad and Sunshine meet, realize they were perfect for each other, mate and start their own family.

The idea of giving birth at Sunny and Sunshine's house had arisen when her dad started making preparations for the birth of the kittens. He had shown her a large, comfortable box that he had prepared so that she could deliver her kittens safely. It was while he was talking about how eager he was to meet her kittens that she thought that if she gave birth _somewhere else_ , he would have no choice but to look for them... and he would find _much more_ than he would look for.

Millie had felt the moment of delivery approaching, and when he left the house, so did she. It was a tiring walk through the forest that separated their homes and when the time for her delivery came, she sneaked out an open window and went to the place where Sunshine's scent was strongest.

Her four kittens arrived in the world before the end of the morning and it was one of the most beautiful moments of her life. She sanitized and nursed them and warmed them up and watched them sleep. From now on her energies and her time would be dedicated to those small defenseless beings. Her human would be as ecstatic when he met her kittens as she was.

Sunshine had found her at night and was delighted to see her in her bed with her kittens. It hadn't taken long for her to figure out how to get in touch with her Sad Dad, or Armitage Hux, as the other humans called him. She was anxious to see their reaction when they first met and when she heard the sound of his car approaching the house, she walked to the front door followed closely by Sunshine. All her efforts had paid off when his heart had sped up when he first saw Sunshine. He had been fascinated by the human and, although she had orchestrated that meeting, she had been jealous of him and she had to meow to get his attention.

She had imagined that making the two of them meet would be the most difficult part of her plan, but she ended up discovering that human relations were far more complicated than she had anticipated. Cats had long courtship rituals, often considered irritating and maddening by humans, but they were simple and efficient.

On the other hand, the humans...

Humans were strange animals and always seemed inclined to ignore their most primitive instincts, especially the reproductive instincts and the obvious signals that one sent to the other. She could smell the pheromone cloud that surrounded her dad and Sunshine whenever they saw each other, but they seemed unable to perceive how much they wanted to mate with each other.

Her stay at Sunshine and Sunny's house had been a fun one and she would certainly visit them again when she returned to her home and her kittens became independent. Sunshine was affectionate, caring, fun and also liked to talk to her and didn’t care about the mess and noise that she and her kittens made every day. When Sunny returned home, Millie feared that she and the kittens were going to drown in so much affection and attention and when she realized that the human girl had also been abandoned when she was a baby, Millie started to fill her with affection and attention too.

With Sunny's return, Stormy also started going to the house and even Bossy and Charming had shown up for dinner and she had never seen her dad happier than that night. The two humans used to stay up late talking and her dad was always a topic in their conversation. Sunshine hadn’t exaggerated when she said she would seduce her dad and Millie couldn’t understand how a male could be so blind and not see the amount of signals that a female sent him. If her dad and Sunshine were cats, things would work out more easily and quickly, but being human, things seemed more and more complicated and she feared that Sunshine would get tired and give up mating with him.

Their courtship ritual lasted for weeks and when her dad took her and her kittens home, she feared that all her efforts had been in vain. She had missed home, and had spent that first day back looking after her kittens, taking naps in the sun in her favorite corner in the yard and watching her kittens lose their fear and start exploring the rooms of the house when they let their natural curiosity guide them. Her father had come home sadder than usual and she was sure he was missing Sunshine.

While he was playing with the kittens, she found herself wondering if she would have to intervene again and find a way to make them meet again. Fortunately, she didn't need to think of a way to intervene, as Sunshine had persevered, taken the initiative, and decided that the time had come to end the part of the courtship and move on to the mating part, just as Millicent had hoped she would. She loved her dad, but she knew he needed a strong female to take the initiative and tell him what to do.

When she heard Sunshine's voice in their house, she had made a point of staying with her kittens, since the two humans had a terrible habit of using them as an excuse to ignore what they felt. It didn't take long for her to hear the two finally mating.

She walked silently across the room and with ease, she jumped onto the bed of her no longer _sad_ dad. She sat and watched the two sleeping humans. Her human, wrapped his arms around Sunshine, keeping her protected and warm.

Her plan had been a success and, satisfied, Millicent settled on the bed and purred.

For the number of times those two mated that night, soon her dad and Sunshine would have their own babies and they would be a big happy family.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Millicent gave names for each of the characters:  
> Hux – Sad Dad;  
> Rose – Sunshine;  
> Ben - Stormy;  
> Rey – Sunny;  
> Phasma - Bossy;  
> Poe - Charming;

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> My Gingerrose Fics:  
> [When the war is over](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23556760/chapters/56511502)
> 
> You can find me on:  
> My [Twitter](https://twitter.com/filhadoboto)   
> My [Tumblr](https://filhadoboto.tumblr.com/)


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